Metagame Gen V PU - NU in NU

Official Data Miner

GRs Cousin, you're right that this lower-and-lower-tier game could go on forever in theory (or, at the very least, for another six rounds, assuming 50 pokemon per tier), but it won't, because tiers are based on simulator usage, and right now, the upper staff has decided that nothing below NU will get a ladder (the ability to find random matchups) on the simulators.

The reason for this is that every new usage-based tier saps off usage from other tiers. The best example of this is the birth of NU, which cut the RU userbase down by more than half.

So NU will be the last tier implemented on the simulators, which means that we can only come up with a tier list for one tier beyond that.

So no, there won't be a DU (a name I like better than my idea--FU, which is what those Pokemon say to GameFreak) or any tiers beyond that.

Official Data Miner

580 BST is very high in here...great defenses, decent movpool, and a great trait all give Articuno reason not to be in the same class as Unown...

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All that says is that we haven't yet found the bottom. PU is populated with plenty of pokemon that don't "stink," such as Raichu, Electrode, Rotom-F, Audino, Throh, Zweilous (second strongest Outrage in the game after Kyurem-B), Walrein, Shedinja... the list goes on.

And if BST is the end-all-be-all for you, then you should be more concerned that both Slaking and Regigigas (both of whom have a BST of 670) are PU.

I'm very glad to see this thread isn't completely dead after all. People still play PU (I see people asking for battles on the WiFi Battle Finder), just not as much as when it was a novelty. I personally find it pretty fun even up till now, especially with BW2. Though a couple of things are now pretty huge threats (there's a suspect discussion in NU to see if they will ban Zangoose, which is technically still PU), a LOT of things have new toys to play with, and we should be trying those out. It's not like PU is a competitive tier guys. :]

Haunter 4x resists Bug Buzz, doesn't it? That might become extremely popular with an Eviolite for dealing with Butterfree if the fanbase increases.

On an unrelated note, there are some pretty damn powerful attacker in PU, such as Octillery, Eelektross, Dodrio (which notably is the only Brave Bird user in PU aside from the abominable Pidgeot, IIRC) and Rampardos.
I also think Eviolite Combusken with Swords Dance and Speed Boost could be highly dangerous with its access to Flare Blitz and Sky Uppercut; after a Swords Dance, it has 538 attack and 343 speed with a Jolly Nature which are definitely more than useable in PU. Eviolite obviously gives it ample uninvested bulk, but you could also give it a Life Orb for wallbreaking power, although between LO recoil, his frailty (and thus weakness to Priority) and Flare Blitz recoil he won't last long.

There are multiple places where you can play PU. #othermetas on synIRC is a good place to organise battles with other people. Additionally, when challenging someone on Pokemon Showdown!, there is an option to play PU. Finally, you can use Smogon's Wi-Fi Battle Finder to organise a battle over Wi-Fi.

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If I've understood it correctly, PU is a pretty self-destructive and cyclic tier. The most used Pokémon will, by their usage alone, be banned from the next tier shift on, seeing as they've been used too much to qualify as PU anymore. Then, when banned from PU, they have no real use, seeing as they were originally PU for a reason, and are outclassed in the NU tier where they now reside, unable to compete for the best spot at the bottom of the barrel. Come the next tier shift, and the formerly banned PU stars have been used so little in NU that they become PU again, while the Pokémon that took their places are banned to NU and unable to be used in PU until the next tier shift rolls around....

Official Data Miner

If I've understood it correctly, PU is a pretty self-destructive and cyclic tier. The most used Pokémon will, by their usage alone, be banned from the next tier shift on, seeing as they've been used too much to qualify as PU anymore. Then, when banned from PU, they have no real use, seeing as they were originally PU for a reason, and are outclassed in the NU tier where they now reside, unable to compete for the best spot at the bottom of the barrel. Come the next tier shift, and the formerly banned PU stars have been used so little in NU that they become PU again, while the Pokémon that took their places are banned to NU and unable to be used in PU until the next tier shift rolls around....

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This only makes sense if the vast majority of people in NU are playing with PU teams. The PU tier is defined based on NU usage, just as UU is defined by OU usage.

I've been variably playing this tier ever since it first surfaced, and I must admit it's the most fun I've ever had in competitive battling to date. I strongly support the motion of this becoming an official tier, although I'm aware of the current decisions around this idea. Some players are arguing that the cycle of a tier for the worst of the worst can only go on forever, but personally I think this is as low as we would need it to be. Nearly all of the Pokémon in the PU tier are able to find a place where they belong on a team given the right amount of attention and creativity. Even the worst of PU can find themselves shining brighter than the stars in the tier under the right circumstances. If you ask me, that's all we need to give the unfortunate Pokémon that are unable to find a proper place in NU a good home. The PU tier executes this theory very well, and I truly hope players begin to grow more fond of this idea and the great fun that surrounds it all.

As for the recent tier shifts, it's definitely left the competitive scene feeling fresh. Losing some huge PU threats, and my personal favorite lead (Rapidash) was more than enough to stir up the environment. PU also welcomes a few vital newcomers as Linoone, Gigalith, Tangela, Jumpluff, and others begin to settle into their new stomping ground. I find myself growing along with this tier as it never fails to amuse my wandering mind, and I love it even more as we progress. It's never been easier to create such innovation inside of a metagame, and I think more people would discover this if they would give PU a chance as a competitive tier. I've found it to be one of the most fitting atmospheres for my playstyle, and I hope everyone else is enjoying themselves as well!

This tier is pretty interesting actually. I've been playing it for a while on the ladder for the lolz, and it's actually fun. I like it better than NU :p I wish Linoone was in this tier still :< Anyway, it's a nice change of pace, and you can sweep people with otherwise-awful Pokemon.

This tier is pretty interesting actually. I've been playing it for a while on the ladder for the lolz, and it's actually fun. I like it better than NU :p I wish Linoone was in this tier still :< Anyway, it's a nice change of pace, and you can sweep people with otherwise-awful Pokemon.

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I also enjoy PU more than I enjoy NU. I believe it's because NU has so many Pokémon that could have potential but have become outclassed by the more popular choices. The PU tier is something that fills the gap inside of the NU metagame, and brings a fresh new experience to the table. I also think it balances out pretty well. Obviously there will always be more viable Pokémon inside of a tier, but I don't feel that there are nearly as many Pokémon that get overshadowed by others. It allows us to utilize so many other Pokés and sets that otherwise wouldn't be applicable inside of NU.

As for Linoone, I think you'll be happy to know that with Monday's tier shifts it's been brought back into the metagame. We also gained Electabuzz, Zebstrika, Flareon, Vileplume, Marowak, Gigalith, Tangela, Jumpluff, Tauros, Ursaring, and Rampardos. We lost Rapidash, Articuno, Electrode, Eelektross, Ditto, Zangoose, and Cradily though.

I really like this idea because I love NU, especially the "anything is viable" dynamic that used to exist. However, due largely to the inexplicable decision not to ban Cinccino and Amoongus, NU is no longer fun nor is the "anything is viable" dynamic still there. Having a team composed almost entirely of prevos and still winning is massively satisfying, even if the enemy's team is ridiculous as well (though its especially satisfying for me as I use a PU team on NU ladder, beating all the Amoongus, Cinccino try-hards). The problem I really see is not with PU it is with competitive battling as a whole, as we keep having to go lower to be creative, due to metas becoming more and more over-centralized due to the refusal to ban certain pokes. Thats why the idea of a tier based purely on usage is awesome (while it may be cyclical) because the stuff that needs to be banned gets banned. Also Tangela is PU. Tangela is invincible with Eviolite and has Sleep Powder and Regenerator. I wonder why it is PU. Oh right.... BAN AMOONGUS.

I really like this idea because I love NU, especially the "anything is viable" dynamic that used to exist. However, due largely to the inexplicable decision not to ban Cinccino and Amoongus, NU is no longer fun nor is the "anything is viable" dynamic still there. Having a team composed almost entirely of prevos and still winning is massively satisfying, even if the enemy's team is ridiculous as well (though its especially satisfying for me as I use a PU team on NU ladder, beating all the Amoongus, Cinccino try-hards). The problem I really see is not with PU it is with competitive battling as a whole, as we keep having to go lower to be creative, due to metas becoming more and more over-centralized due to the refusal to ban certain pokes. Thats why the idea of a tier based purely on usage is awesome (while it may be cyclical) because the stuff that needs to be banned gets banned. Also Tangela is PU. Tangela is invincible with Eviolite and has Sleep Powder and Regenerator. I wonder why it is PU. Oh right.... BAN AMOONGUS.

(hope that didn't sound whiny)

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First off, Cinccino and Amoonguss weren't banned from NU because neither are broken. Sure, they are a strong force in the metagame but both can be dealt with and don't overcentralize the metagame. In fact, NU is incredibly balanced at the moment and i still believe the notion "anything is viable" is still true for the metagame. Anyways... PU is such a fun tier. It gives underrated and underused mons the chance to shine in a metagame that might be more suited for them. SD Jumpluff, Marowak, and Comusken come to mind as strong underrated mons that would do well in this meta. I am definitely for PU becoming an official. It would create a lot of diversity among the lower tiers and would allow for an environment to discover, perhaps, the next best thing.

I understand why Slaking is in pu, but I don't really think he's a pu mon, he kinda needs cofagrigus' mummy to do anything worthwhile in singles, so I guess his best bet is yamask. Things in one tier have purpose but that purpose isn't generally within the tier they're in. With torn-ts ban rotom-c can counter multiple rain teams effectively better than anything it can do in ru, just like slaking does better in uu with cofag than it should here. On another note, ditto moved up it's only a matter of time before it gets banned from even nu, it'll be ou soon enough